MIDAS Knowledge Base

How to fix a 500 Internal Server Error when installing MIDAS

This article explains the most common causes of a 500 Internal Server Error when accessing the MIDAS installer and how to resolve them.

Overview

If you see a 500 Internal Server Error when first accessing the installer for your self-hosted MIDAS room booking system in your web browser, it is usually caused by a server configuration issue. The most common causes are related to file permissions or the Perl configuration on your server.

Common causes

A 500 Internal Server Error during MIDAS installation is typically caused by one of the following:

The install.pl file or its parent directory does not have the correct permissions to allow Perl scripts to execute.
The install.pl file or its directory has excessive permissions that prevent execution.
The location of Perl on your server does not match the path specified in the install.pl file.

Step 1: Check file and directory permissions

Ensure that both the install.pl file and the server directory where it is located have execute permissions enabled.

Recommended permissions:

CHMOD 755 for the install.pl file
CHMOD 755 for the directory containing the file

Do not use CHMOD 0777. Some servers will block the execution of Perl scripts if files or directories are publicly writable.

If install.pl or its directory is set to CHMOD 0777, reduce the permissions to CHMOD 0755 and try again.

Step 2: Verify the Perl path in install.pl

Open the install.pl file in a plain text editor and check the first line of the file. This line specifies the location of Perl on your server and is known as the shebang line.

Common examples include:

#!/usr/bin/perl on Unix servers
#!C:/Perl/bin/perl.exe on Windows servers

If Perl is installed in a different location on your server, update the first line to reflect the correct path. Make sure the line begins with #! and save your changes.

Step 3: Test whether Perl is working correctly

If you are still receiving a 500 Internal Server Error, the issue may be related to your Perl installation.

To test this, create a simple Perl script with the following contents:

#!/usr/bin/perl
print "Content-Type:text/html\n\nHello World";

Note: Update the first line if Perl is installed in a different location on your server.

Save this file as test.pl in the same directory where the MIDAS installer is located. Ensure the file has execute permissions enabled using CHMOD 755.

Next, access test.pl in your web browser.

If Perl is configured correctly, you should see the text Hello World displayed in your browser.

If you still see a 500 Internal Server Error, Perl may not be configured correctly, or the Perl path in the script may be incorrect.

You will need to resolve this issue before you can proceed with installing your self-hosted MIDAS room scheduling system.